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Alan Gregory #1
Privileged Information: Alan Gregory, Book 1
Alan Gregory is a clinical psychologist with a thriving practice in Boulder, Colorado. His life begins to unravel when one of his female patients is found in an apparent suicide and the local paper begins printing accusations from an unnamed source of sexual impropriety between the woman and Dr. Gregory. He launches a psychological and personal quest for the truth that rapidly intensifies when more of his patients die untimely deaths, and Gregory suspects not only that the deaths are related but that another one of his patients may be somehow involved. Lacking facts but roused by suspicion and troubled by seemingly random acts of terror around him, Gregory starts to fear for the safety of the people he loves. The question of the inviolability of confidential disclosures made to Gregory by his patients - privileged information - becomes crucial as the psychologist pursues an unsettling romance with Lauren Crowder, a lovely deputy district attorney investigating one of the deaths. Bound to silence, Gregory follows the psychological tracks of someone he fears may be a cunning and disturbed killer, while turning to his enigmatic but supportive partner, Diane Estevez, for counsel, and to his tart-tongued female urologist neighbor for support. The sinister, surprising drama unfolds against Boulder's Rocky Mountain backdrop, in the arresting natural beauty of Aspen, and in the midst of a baroque Halloween costume party in downtown Boulder. Finally, in a lonely mountain lodge enshrouded in menace, the story comes to its breathtaking climax.
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First published July 24, 1991
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About the author
Stephen White
299 books570 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Stephen White is the author of the New York Times bestselling Alan Gregory novels. In his books, he draws upon over fifteen years of clinical practice as a psychologist to create intriguing plots and complex, believable characters.
Born on Long Island, White grew up in New York, New Jersey, and Southern California and attended the University of California campuses at Irvine (where he lasted three weeks as a creative writing major) and Los Angeles before graduating from Berkeley in 1972. Along the way he learned to fly small planes, worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, cooked and waited tables at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and tended bar at the Red Lion Inn in Boulder. Trained as a clinical psychologist, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 1979 and became known as an authority on the psychological effects of marital disruption, especially on men. White's research has appeared in Psychological Bulletin and other professional journals and books. After receiving his doctorate, White not only worked in private practice but also at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and later as a staff psychologist at The Children's Hospital in Denver, where he focused his attention on pediatric cancer patients. During those years he became acquainted with a colleague in Los Angeles, another pediatric psychologist named Jonathan Kellerman. At the time, Kellerman and White were two of only about a dozen psychologists in the country working in pediatric oncology.
Series:
* Alan Gregory
Stephen White is the author of the New York Times bestselling Alan Gregory novels. In his books, he draws upon over fifteen years of clinical practice as a psychologist to create intriguing plots and complex, believable characters.
Born on Long Island, White grew up in New York, New Jersey, and Southern California and attended the University of California campuses at Irvine (where he lasted three weeks as a creative writing major) and Los Angeles before graduating from Berkeley in 1972. Along the way he learned to fly small planes, worked as a tour guide at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, cooked and waited tables at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and tended bar at the Red Lion Inn in Boulder. Trained as a clinical psychologist, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in 1979 and became known as an authority on the psychological effects of marital disruption, especially on men. White's research has appeared in Psychological Bulletin and other professional journals and books. After receiving his doctorate, White not only worked in private practice but also at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and later as a staff psychologist at The Children's Hospital in Denver, where he focused his attention on pediatric cancer patients. During those years he became acquainted with a colleague in Los Angeles, another pediatric psychologist named Jonathan Kellerman. At the time, Kellerman and White were two of only about a dozen psychologists in the country working in pediatric oncology.
Series:
* Alan Gregory
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 261 reviews
August 31, 2016
I have read almost all of Stephen White's mystery novels and have enjoyed them all. However, I found this first book (which I just re-read) the most disturbing of all because of the situation involved. As an attorney whose law practice included Juvenile Court Child Abuse and Neglect cases, I am very aware of the Tarasoff case and the "Duty to Warn" it articulated. (If I remember my Freshman Law School Class notes accurately, in that case, a patient told his therapist that he planned on killing his girlfriend -- and in fact followed through on that threat. Her parents sued the therapist, and the Tarasoff court held that the therapist had a "Duty to Warn" the girlfriend despite the Ethical Confidentiality Restraints.) This book seemed to try and demonstrate the Ethical Gordian Knot the Mental Health Community may find itself in under those circumstances. This is not at all a far-fetched scenario; I recently moved to Belen, New Mexico from Chicago, Illinois and Belen recently experienced its first murder in 20 years -- which was a Double Homicide of a girlfriend and her mother, both shot to death by the girlfriend's ex-boyfriend. For anyone who works in the medical, legal, or law enforcement fields, this book's scenario is not at all unfamiliar -- and it is the one that keeps us all up at night...P.S. The other reason I like White's books is the information he includes about MS (Multiple Sclerosis). My law practice also included SSA Disability Benefits cases, and I represented some clients with MS.
June 2, 2024
Returning to re-read Stephen White’s great thriller collection after a number of years, I hoped this summer binge would be as exciting as it seemed when I thought it up months ago. Things are off to a great start with this opening novel, in which Dr. Alan Gregory sets the tempo and proves just how vulnerable he is when faced with the news that one of his patients has died. Things kick up a notch when more patients die and the police cannot discount Dr. Gregory might be involved. A new love interest begins brewing too in this electric series debut that has me eager to keep going through the collection.
The world of clinical psychologist Alan Gregory turns upside down when one of his patients dies under mysterious circumstances. A journal of the victim’s shows that Dr. Gregory may have been having a sexual relationship with her as part of their therapy, though the therapist vehemently denies it. Still, the police begin sniffing around and asking personal questions, though professional ethics prevent Dr. Gregory from providing any privileged information.
Facing professional chaos, Dr. Gregory watches his practice wilt as he awaits progress in the investigation. Another patient is soon found dead and odd events occur to Dr. Gregory. All the while, he begins a connection with a local Assistant District Attorney, Lauren Crowler, who appears not to be fazed by the legal and criminal drama.
Beginning to worry that one of his patients could be responsible for the deaths, Dr. Gregory has to walk a fine line. He cannot push too hard or face both personal and ethical ruin. The relationship with Lauren takes a turn when she makes a personal admission and builds a wall around herself. With so many balls to juggle, Dr. Alan Gregory will have to focus on what matters and keep his wits about him, as the threat increases exponentially. A great series debut that lays all the groundwork for what is to come!
I remember discovering this series years ago, devouring many of the books in short order. When I chose to return, I decided that I would try a complete series binge, getting the full Alan Gregory experience. Stephen White uses many of his personal experiences as a clinical psychologist to pull on ideas and character aspects, which becomes apparent in this series debut.
The narrative approach is clear and, at times, quite blunt. The reader is introduced to the setting of Boulder, Colorado, as well as the life of a therapist and their varied caseload. With the narrative building, the story takes on new intensity, gaining momentum until it hums along and keeps the reader wondering what awaits. Strong characters, some of whom will become key aspects to the series (from what I remember), help flavour the story and offer some insight into how the collection will likely process. With both professional and personal groundwork laid, I will have to pay close attention to ensure I have the needed foundation for these larger story arcs that will eventually emerge.
Plot points fuel this story and keep things on edge. The psychological approach is not what I might normally read, but White offers up a great means of including the reader in the experience. Surprises, unique angles, and some dangling threads keep the reader wondering as the next novel awaits, sure to pave the way for new and intriguing directions.
Kudos Mr. White, for opening with a true bang.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
The world of clinical psychologist Alan Gregory turns upside down when one of his patients dies under mysterious circumstances. A journal of the victim’s shows that Dr. Gregory may have been having a sexual relationship with her as part of their therapy, though the therapist vehemently denies it. Still, the police begin sniffing around and asking personal questions, though professional ethics prevent Dr. Gregory from providing any privileged information.
Facing professional chaos, Dr. Gregory watches his practice wilt as he awaits progress in the investigation. Another patient is soon found dead and odd events occur to Dr. Gregory. All the while, he begins a connection with a local Assistant District Attorney, Lauren Crowler, who appears not to be fazed by the legal and criminal drama.
Beginning to worry that one of his patients could be responsible for the deaths, Dr. Gregory has to walk a fine line. He cannot push too hard or face both personal and ethical ruin. The relationship with Lauren takes a turn when she makes a personal admission and builds a wall around herself. With so many balls to juggle, Dr. Alan Gregory will have to focus on what matters and keep his wits about him, as the threat increases exponentially. A great series debut that lays all the groundwork for what is to come!
I remember discovering this series years ago, devouring many of the books in short order. When I chose to return, I decided that I would try a complete series binge, getting the full Alan Gregory experience. Stephen White uses many of his personal experiences as a clinical psychologist to pull on ideas and character aspects, which becomes apparent in this series debut.
The narrative approach is clear and, at times, quite blunt. The reader is introduced to the setting of Boulder, Colorado, as well as the life of a therapist and their varied caseload. With the narrative building, the story takes on new intensity, gaining momentum until it hums along and keeps the reader wondering what awaits. Strong characters, some of whom will become key aspects to the series (from what I remember), help flavour the story and offer some insight into how the collection will likely process. With both professional and personal groundwork laid, I will have to pay close attention to ensure I have the needed foundation for these larger story arcs that will eventually emerge.
Plot points fuel this story and keep things on edge. The psychological approach is not what I might normally read, but White offers up a great means of including the reader in the experience. Surprises, unique angles, and some dangling threads keep the reader wondering as the next novel awaits, sure to pave the way for new and intriguing directions.
Kudos Mr. White, for opening with a true bang.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
December 14, 2019
Giving up. I find the main character to be whiny and I just don’t care what happens.
April 21, 2022
A very good first book and while all the characters were flat the story and wrap up were solid. The person that recommended this series to me said that he gets better at characterization as the series goes on and I will definitely read more.
October 11, 2009
I hadn't heard of Stephen White until recently, when his name came up in a Denver Post story. I was intrigued by the promise of an accurate depiction of the story's Colorado setting, and I wasn't disappointed in that aspect. White is a native Boulderite who knows his town and state well, and it's rare to find fiction set in Colorado that's this accurate (the domed football stadium in Clancy's The Sum of All Fears comes to mind).
Unfortunately, the novelty of reading a story set near my home was the most rewarding thing about Privileged Information for me. I'm aware that this is only the first of White's novels starring Alan Gregory, a dashing, crime fighting psychotherapist (talk about projection), but I found Gregory and the cast of supporting characters to be cliched, and I don't know whether it's just White working the kinks out or if the characters really aren't that interesting.
Gregory in particular was a hard character to identify with and have much empathy for. He's having a rough time and "taking a stand" for his patients' privacy, but his long speeches about psychotherapy and ethics (especially the one at the novel's climax) are tiresome and come across as smug and egotistical. In fact, most of the characters in this book come across as pretty self-absorbed, both the good guys and the bad guys. Maybe that's inevitable in a psychotherapy thriller, but I had a hard time caring about it all.
Unfortunately, I'll probably skip the rest of the Alan Gregory novels. While I admire (and somewhat envy) Stephen White's success as a former Colorado native professional-turned full-time novelist, his stuff's just not for me.
Unfortunately, the novelty of reading a story set near my home was the most rewarding thing about Privileged Information for me. I'm aware that this is only the first of White's novels starring Alan Gregory, a dashing, crime fighting psychotherapist (talk about projection), but I found Gregory and the cast of supporting characters to be cliched, and I don't know whether it's just White working the kinks out or if the characters really aren't that interesting.
Gregory in particular was a hard character to identify with and have much empathy for. He's having a rough time and "taking a stand" for his patients' privacy, but his long speeches about psychotherapy and ethics (especially the one at the novel's climax) are tiresome and come across as smug and egotistical. In fact, most of the characters in this book come across as pretty self-absorbed, both the good guys and the bad guys. Maybe that's inevitable in a psychotherapy thriller, but I had a hard time caring about it all.
Unfortunately, I'll probably skip the rest of the Alan Gregory novels. While I admire (and somewhat envy) Stephen White's success as a former Colorado native professional-turned full-time novelist, his stuff's just not for me.
June 3, 2010
This first book in the popular mystery series featuring psychologist Alan Gregory, is a light, quick, and entertaining read, very good for the genre. It seems Gregory is having a problem with keeping patients alive. And after he is accused of sexual misconduct, he is having a problem with keeping any patients at all. While he is trying to determine what is behind the deaths and if there is any common denominator, as well as clearing his name, his hands are tied by the ethics of his profession. On top of that, he is separated but not entirely emotionally detached from his wife and he falls for a prickly deputy district attorney, Lauren, who often treats him badly.
The setting is Boulder, Colorado, as it's fun to read books set in my neck of the woods. I fell in love with the Bouvier des Flandres, Cicero. The storyline is plausible and for a mystery, not gruesome. I did question Alan's initial failure to see an overly coincidental meeting with someone he knew as something other than coincidence. Some of my favorite quotes from early in the book are:
“I carried a bottle of red and a bottle of white, unsure which went better with brine.”
“In the tropics people are evacuated when the winds hit seventy miles an hour; in Boulder, when the Chinooks gust past ninety, people compensate by talking a wee bit louder, rescheduling tennis matches and bicycle rides, and leaning a little bit when they walk.”
“Her hair was the color of good topsoil....”
“Adolescence is a disease from which total recovery is rare.”
The setting is Boulder, Colorado, as it's fun to read books set in my neck of the woods. I fell in love with the Bouvier des Flandres, Cicero. The storyline is plausible and for a mystery, not gruesome. I did question Alan's initial failure to see an overly coincidental meeting with someone he knew as something other than coincidence. Some of my favorite quotes from early in the book are:
“I carried a bottle of red and a bottle of white, unsure which went better with brine.”
“In the tropics people are evacuated when the winds hit seventy miles an hour; in Boulder, when the Chinooks gust past ninety, people compensate by talking a wee bit louder, rescheduling tennis matches and bicycle rides, and leaning a little bit when they walk.”
“Her hair was the color of good topsoil....”
“Adolescence is a disease from which total recovery is rare.”
July 31, 2013
The first book in the series about a Psychologist who becomes the Prime suspect when some of his patients are murdered. I thought the book started strongly developing the characters and the plot but dipped in the middle. It did recover towards the end and did leave me wanting to read more of this series.
Coincidentally the book I read immediately before this was Michael Robotham's 'Suspect' which was very similar and at times left me wondering whether I was reading the same book again. N.B. The Stephen White book was written before 'Suspect'.
Coincidentally the book I read immediately before this was Michael Robotham's 'Suspect' which was very similar and at times left me wondering whether I was reading the same book again. N.B. The Stephen White book was written before 'Suspect'.
September 2, 2024
I had to read this one for school but I enjoyed it! A quick psychological thriller!
July 14, 2010
This is the first offering of Stephen White's and a wild ride it is.
I can understand how his popularity rose so fast, even though, I still think he's, to some extent, mimicking Jonathan Kellerman. The biggest differences are that Psychologist, Alan Gregory, the major protagonist is more of a klutz than Kellerman's Alex Delaware and seems to have more of a sense of humor. He's also, pretty much a loner and has no Milo Sturgis, to keep him straight.
The story is written in the first person which creates limitations that Kellerman does not have to deal with.
This story involves three patients of Gregory's all of whom die within a short time of one another via suicide, accident and murder. The only connection they have with one another is Gregory. It takes him a while to figure out who is at the root cause of these deaths and when he does, he pursues the villain himself because he is limited in what he can do by the rules around "Privileged Information". If he breaks those rules he could destroy his career as a Psychologist.
the story moves right along but I thought there was way too much emphasis on the psychological concept of transference. The reader does not need to have it explained over and over.
I liked the characters, who will undoubtedly appear in later volumes. As I said earlier the plot moves at breakneck speed and is as believable as most crime fiction efforts.
I plan to continue reading the series, hopefully in order of publication.
I can understand how his popularity rose so fast, even though, I still think he's, to some extent, mimicking Jonathan Kellerman. The biggest differences are that Psychologist, Alan Gregory, the major protagonist is more of a klutz than Kellerman's Alex Delaware and seems to have more of a sense of humor. He's also, pretty much a loner and has no Milo Sturgis, to keep him straight.
The story is written in the first person which creates limitations that Kellerman does not have to deal with.
This story involves three patients of Gregory's all of whom die within a short time of one another via suicide, accident and murder. The only connection they have with one another is Gregory. It takes him a while to figure out who is at the root cause of these deaths and when he does, he pursues the villain himself because he is limited in what he can do by the rules around "Privileged Information". If he breaks those rules he could destroy his career as a Psychologist.
the story moves right along but I thought there was way too much emphasis on the psychological concept of transference. The reader does not need to have it explained over and over.
I liked the characters, who will undoubtedly appear in later volumes. As I said earlier the plot moves at breakneck speed and is as believable as most crime fiction efforts.
I plan to continue reading the series, hopefully in order of publication.
July 6, 2012
Clinical psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory faces professional and personal disgrace when several of his attractive female patients are found dead. When the first murder victim is found with a diary detailing her bizarre sexual infatuation for Dr. Gregory, he becomes the prime suspect in the investigation. As more of his patients are murdered, Alan faces a dilemma, the evidence that will clear his name is privileged information that he can't reveal at the risk of breaching his professional ethics. But in order to save his life, Dr. Gregory must discover which of his patients is a potential killer.
I have had this book on my bookshelf for about three years and have only just sat down to read it. I'm so glad that I did as it was truly an engrossing read that I almost didn't want to end. I give this book an A+! and look forward to tracking down more of Stephen White's books to read. There are now about nineteen or twenty books in the Alan Gregory Series, and I can't wait to read more from Stephen White.
I have had this book on my bookshelf for about three years and have only just sat down to read it. I'm so glad that I did as it was truly an engrossing read that I almost didn't want to end. I give this book an A+! and look forward to tracking down more of Stephen White's books to read. There are now about nineteen or twenty books in the Alan Gregory Series, and I can't wait to read more from Stephen White.
June 11, 2011
Hmmph. The idea behind this is interesting. The protag is a psychologist. But man, it quickly fell apart for me. My relationship with the book ended when a dog dies unnecessarily. I'm OK with the death of a pet when it furthers the plot, reveals character, etc., but my interest in this book was hanging by a thread when this happened, and I finished the book out of compulsion rather than interest. Yech.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2012
Three chapters into the book you figure out who the villain is and the remainder of the book you wondering why a professional psychologist is too stupid to figure it out. This is one of those novels where after a few chapters you hope the protagonist is killed off quickly. He bring to mind Frodo in the “Lord of the Rings”. Thirty minutes into the movie I hoping they snuff his miserably weak, indecisive and insufferable character out. Darwin where are you when you are needed?
June 23, 2013
I'm always looking for a good, long series and I'm happy I gave Stephen White a whirl. Dr. Alan Gregory, a Clinical Psychologist, works to figure out why his seemingly unrelated patients continue to turn up dead. The plot moved quickly and the cast of characters thoroughly entertained me. I'm looking forward to reading #2.
December 24, 2018
According to the preview of this book, I thought would be more intense and a complete page turner... Instead it was up and down for me and not enough action to where parts of it I was ready to give up on this book. This is the 1st book of Stephen White I have read and sure hope the next books, (considering I have all of his books except one) get much much better!!!
August 1, 2014
THIS was the correct Privileged Information book my friend recommended, and it is a page-turner! Highly recommended!
May 1, 2018
Written originally in 1991, this is the first in author Stephen White's "Alan Gregory" series. Gregory is a psychologist in Boulder, Colorado. Along with his trusty dog Cicero the divorced doctor has a thriving practice. When one of his patients appears to commit suicide, Gregory's practice seems to suffer badly. After two more of his patients end up dead the police highly suspect Gregory of foul play. Dr. Alan falls for the second baseman of his business partner's all women softball team. (Lauren is an A.D.A., and suffers from a soon to be crippling disease.) At just over 330 spine tingling pages Dr. Alan Gregory must save his own life and his practice. Although at times it got kind of psycho babbling at times it was a well built plot with several surprising twists and turns. Four stars out of a possible five stars. I'm looking forward to second book in this series. (Series stops at 20 books.) I really enjoy finding these series by authors I've not heard of before. highly recommend ! Check it out !
August 30, 2018
3.5 Stars.
I previously read The Program by Stephen White and really enjoyed it so I decided to read the first in the series. It was a good read, however, a good portion of the book was based on the relationship he had with the Deputy DA - that wasn't really something I was expecting. Felt like "romantic suspense" and I avoid that genre like the plague. It also didn't feel very suspenseful to me because you figure very early on what's going on and the build up was quite slow. The end only cleaned up the motive.
I will read the other books in the series though as I still consider The Program to be very good.
I previously read The Program by Stephen White and really enjoyed it so I decided to read the first in the series. It was a good read, however, a good portion of the book was based on the relationship he had with the Deputy DA - that wasn't really something I was expecting. Felt like "romantic suspense" and I avoid that genre like the plague. It also didn't feel very suspenseful to me because you figure very early on what's going on and the build up was quite slow. The end only cleaned up the motive.
I will read the other books in the series though as I still consider The Program to be very good.
September 10, 2018
I tend to be wary of 1st books in a mystery series where the Author is a newbie but Stephen White pulled this off well. Set in Boulder, CO the protagonist is psychologist whose clients are dying and his ethical dilemmas of not breaking confidentiality. The author is himself a psychologist so the premise was well developed. While “who done it” is no surprise the way he is caught was nicely done. I will likely read more in the series. My only downside listening to an audiobook was the narrator who made about 50% of the characters speak as if they were from Long Island.
March 16, 2021
Having read most of the novels of my favorite mystery writers, Michael Connelly and Faye Kellerman, I searched for a new series to begin reading. I settled on Stephen White’s Alan Gregory books, and—starting at the beginning—I read Privileged Information. I was less than enthralled. The actual murder doesn’t occur until past the first third of the book. Until then, it is mostly character development and, yes, what eventually we realize is plot development. Once the murder was established, I got interested quickly. Then, as the plot went on and on, my interest lagged once again. Eventually, the climax occurred, and it took forever to unravel. At that point, I was ready for the storytelling to end, so taking ten pages or more to get to the point was excruciating. And that point? I had already figured it out pages and pages before. I rarely even try to figure out a mystery, so the fact that the solution just came upon me was not a good feeling. I must say that White does write well. His descriptions of Colorado are quite evocative and beautiful. But for me, all that got in the way of the story I thought he was taking forever to tell. Perhaps since Alan Gregory is a psychologist (as is the writer,) I was not in the frame of mind I would have been had the sleuth been a policeperson, lawyer, or any of the usual solvers of crimes we see in many novels. It is entirely possible this crime solving was just too cerebral for my liking. But I do think I now understand the term “transference,” and learning is a good thing, whether from an encyclopedia or a crime novel.
June 22, 2012
I'd read a couple of Alan Gregory mysteries before and thought they were pretty good, so i decided to begin with the beginning. This is book number one. I have to say, if i had started with the first one, i never would have read any more in the series. Alan is a psychologist, so the books are sort of like the Jonathan Kellerman series, but not. Not as good, for sure. Every character in this book is annoying. The two most annoying characters are the main guy, Alan, and the woman he's trying to date, Lauren. She is a b*tch and he is a total glutton for punishment for keeping coming back after everything that she gives him. This book elapses over a year, but i never feel for the people in it, even on the sad moments, it's oh whatever. They all come across as pretentious, and Alan as weak and annoying. The mystery itself was so obvious that i finished the book to see the twist ending..there's not really any twist. It's just obvious. It took me forever to read this book..i usually read one in a day or two, this one took half a month. i read others in between but i was pretty consistently picking it up, getting bored and putting it down, unlike sometimes when i start a book, forget about it, and then finish it in a day or two once i finally get into it. i never got into it. The overall series is good at best, but this book is poor, i would recommend just skipping it and diving in later on, you'll figure things out as they recap a lot. you're not missing anything, i give it two stars because i was able to finish it.
October 26, 2020
This book is not my usual read, however, I was asked to read it for a psych course so I could better understand ethics for therapy.
In summary...this book is very much a white, straight male wrote this thriller in the 80's kind of book.
Also, the word "transference" is used a thousand times.
*Spoilers ahead!*
The book is about psychotherapist, Dr. Alan Gregory, whose patient commits suicide unexpectedly. It then starts to become a pattern as later, two other female patients of his die mysteriously, leaving him to figure out the questions of "why is this happening" and "who is doing it?"
While I found the mystery itself engaging to keep up my interest, the incessant, way-too-in-depth description of people's looks and home interiors as a means of proving that Dr. Alan Gregory is a smart, educated man was pretty annoying. Not to mention that most of his descriptions of people were about women whom he found attractive (aka very male-gazey).
Ultimately though, this was just another story that seemed to glorify sexualized violence against women and celebrate a white man being the hero who either avenged their deaths or saved them. (Original? Nope!)
So, suffice it to say, not my favorite read.
In summary...this book is very much a white, straight male wrote this thriller in the 80's kind of book.
Also, the word "transference" is used a thousand times.
*Spoilers ahead!*
The book is about psychotherapist, Dr. Alan Gregory, whose patient commits suicide unexpectedly. It then starts to become a pattern as later, two other female patients of his die mysteriously, leaving him to figure out the questions of "why is this happening" and "who is doing it?"
While I found the mystery itself engaging to keep up my interest, the incessant, way-too-in-depth description of people's looks and home interiors as a means of proving that Dr. Alan Gregory is a smart, educated man was pretty annoying. Not to mention that most of his descriptions of people were about women whom he found attractive (aka very male-gazey).
Ultimately though, this was just another story that seemed to glorify sexualized violence against women and celebrate a white man being the hero who either avenged their deaths or saved them. (Original? Nope!)
So, suffice it to say, not my favorite read.
May 23, 2021
I remember reading some of this series in college (I was a psychology major) and loving it, though I can't remember specific thoughts or feelings about the characters or plotlines. Upon re-reading it recently, while I still like it, I think I had it on a pedestal of sorts, probably for love of psychology as a subject and mysteries as a genre.
This time around, I didn't like Alan and I found Lauren intolerable. I'll start with Lauren. The only coherent and sensible thing she said in this book is when she told Alan he wasn't "as divorced as [she] is." The fact that Alan has to ask what she means by that adds to my frustration with HIS character - the obvious answer is that she's ACTUALLY divorced in every sense of the word, while he and his wife are merely separated. Um...duh, Alan? The rest of her dialogue is mostly her bragging about herself in some manner, insulting Alan as a person for what appears to be warranted only because he cares about her (she's ripe for psychoanalysis but to Alan's credit, he's not pedantic enough to cross that boundary because he likes her as a person and as a woman, not as a potential client), and basically admitting she knows she pushes men away but that's their problem, not hers, because "men are unreliable" or "not to be trusted" or something like that. I can't remember her exact line, but for someone as smart as she thinks she is, and for someone whose boss is (by her admission) an excellent example of how that generalization is unfair, she sticks to it and basically sets up Alan to be slapped in the face with her true feelings about the male sex. She gave him every opportunity for him to fail her tests, and when he didn't, she pushed him away anyway. Then said she wanted to see other people but "let's still be friends," then gets mad at him when he has a problem being just a friend right off the bat, when her finally sleeping with him was a clue that they were growing closer together, and acted like hale shouldn't have been completely caught off guard by her quick retreat. The cherry on top: Alan passes all her tests, confronts her on her BS (NOT abandoning her for her MS as she was so ready for him to do, after he showed he was at least willing to stick around while he thought about it instead of just immediately bolting), and she dismisses everything he says while opting to trust a stranger who, incidentally, she brought on the same trip she took Alan on in her pattern of seduction and tests. When Alan tells her he didn't move with his wife, she automatically makes the assumption that he deemed his career more important than his wife's (obviously due to previous relationship baggage, which, despite my feelings about Alan, is not fair to him), which is rich considering she dismisses his career and expertise the entire book. Her self-righteousness and finger-pointing just caused unnecessary drama and got in the way of her doing her job (which she's sooooo good at, just ask her). She thinks Alan has evidence with the blue bandana that may link to a crime, but because of her ambivalent, personal feelings about him won't allow him to bring it to her, and then neglects to follow through on her promise to have someone come get it from him; instead he has to bring it to Sam Purdy and deal with him in vagueries which only makes the case drag out more.
Alan. If he hadn't spent the whole book feeling so sorry about himself (much more than he seemed to feel sorry for any of his victims who died), he would have cottoned onto things a lot sooner. And he became so reliant on the privileged information and confidentiality aspect of his job that he let it cloud his judgment on things not related to therapy. Why not call the police and report the windshield? Why not call the police and report the billiard ball through his home window? Just because he suspects it's Michael doesn't mean when he reports it he has to divulge anything about their therapy sessions to the police taking the report. At the very least, he'd be documenting a pattern of threatening behavior that could later be tied back to Michael (hint: fingerprints on the objects maybe linked to the fingerprints on the glasses at one of the victim's homes). If the police suspected a stalker due to the patterns of behavior, they could have been following Alan and therefore spotted Michael a long time before the billiard ball incident without Alan ever having breathed his name to the authorities. For all he knew, the turtle and the billiard ball had Michael's prints all over them. Instead? He cleans up all the glass in both situations and makes it like neither incident ever happened (as far as the law is concerned). And doesn't feel threatened by the POSSIBILITY that someone could have shaved his dog's neck, brought her back home (so obviously knows where he lives), and left a calling card (the blue bandana), not the story that he comes up with where she ran off, a crazy person shaved her neck, and then a neighbor happened to recognize her and being her home (but not say anything?). Alan seems completely unable to connect obvious dots the whole book, dismissing clue after clue, but somehow manages to solve an extremely complex puzzle at the end. I agreed with other reviews that this was a slow plotline, with many unnecessary details that seemed built in just to make the book longer or drag out the suspense.
I also agree with another review that the dog's death was unnecessary. It didn't enrich the story in any way, and the way it spurned Alan to finally get serious about Michael despite it having absolutely nothing to do with Michael just made him seem reckless and irrational.
Like other reviews, this is the first novel of the series and there were kinks to be worked through, I'm sure. So that, with my memories of having really liked the series previously, I'll continue to read it, and hope that Lauren's revelations at the end of book one make her likeable, or at least tolerable, in future installments, and that Alan becomes more able to see things less emotionally and take a more clinical, unbiased perspective at circumstances like he would in his practice.
This time around, I didn't like Alan and I found Lauren intolerable. I'll start with Lauren. The only coherent and sensible thing she said in this book is when she told Alan he wasn't "as divorced as [she] is." The fact that Alan has to ask what she means by that adds to my frustration with HIS character - the obvious answer is that she's ACTUALLY divorced in every sense of the word, while he and his wife are merely separated. Um...duh, Alan? The rest of her dialogue is mostly her bragging about herself in some manner, insulting Alan as a person for what appears to be warranted only because he cares about her (she's ripe for psychoanalysis but to Alan's credit, he's not pedantic enough to cross that boundary because he likes her as a person and as a woman, not as a potential client), and basically admitting she knows she pushes men away but that's their problem, not hers, because "men are unreliable" or "not to be trusted" or something like that. I can't remember her exact line, but for someone as smart as she thinks she is, and for someone whose boss is (by her admission) an excellent example of how that generalization is unfair, she sticks to it and basically sets up Alan to be slapped in the face with her true feelings about the male sex. She gave him every opportunity for him to fail her tests, and when he didn't, she pushed him away anyway. Then said she wanted to see other people but "let's still be friends," then gets mad at him when he has a problem being just a friend right off the bat, when her finally sleeping with him was a clue that they were growing closer together, and acted like hale shouldn't have been completely caught off guard by her quick retreat. The cherry on top: Alan passes all her tests, confronts her on her BS (NOT abandoning her for her MS as she was so ready for him to do, after he showed he was at least willing to stick around while he thought about it instead of just immediately bolting), and she dismisses everything he says while opting to trust a stranger who, incidentally, she brought on the same trip she took Alan on in her pattern of seduction and tests. When Alan tells her he didn't move with his wife, she automatically makes the assumption that he deemed his career more important than his wife's (obviously due to previous relationship baggage, which, despite my feelings about Alan, is not fair to him), which is rich considering she dismisses his career and expertise the entire book. Her self-righteousness and finger-pointing just caused unnecessary drama and got in the way of her doing her job (which she's sooooo good at, just ask her). She thinks Alan has evidence with the blue bandana that may link to a crime, but because of her ambivalent, personal feelings about him won't allow him to bring it to her, and then neglects to follow through on her promise to have someone come get it from him; instead he has to bring it to Sam Purdy and deal with him in vagueries which only makes the case drag out more.
Alan. If he hadn't spent the whole book feeling so sorry about himself (much more than he seemed to feel sorry for any of his victims who died), he would have cottoned onto things a lot sooner. And he became so reliant on the privileged information and confidentiality aspect of his job that he let it cloud his judgment on things not related to therapy. Why not call the police and report the windshield? Why not call the police and report the billiard ball through his home window? Just because he suspects it's Michael doesn't mean when he reports it he has to divulge anything about their therapy sessions to the police taking the report. At the very least, he'd be documenting a pattern of threatening behavior that could later be tied back to Michael (hint: fingerprints on the objects maybe linked to the fingerprints on the glasses at one of the victim's homes). If the police suspected a stalker due to the patterns of behavior, they could have been following Alan and therefore spotted Michael a long time before the billiard ball incident without Alan ever having breathed his name to the authorities. For all he knew, the turtle and the billiard ball had Michael's prints all over them. Instead? He cleans up all the glass in both situations and makes it like neither incident ever happened (as far as the law is concerned). And doesn't feel threatened by the POSSIBILITY that someone could have shaved his dog's neck, brought her back home (so obviously knows where he lives), and left a calling card (the blue bandana), not the story that he comes up with where she ran off, a crazy person shaved her neck, and then a neighbor happened to recognize her and being her home (but not say anything?). Alan seems completely unable to connect obvious dots the whole book, dismissing clue after clue, but somehow manages to solve an extremely complex puzzle at the end. I agreed with other reviews that this was a slow plotline, with many unnecessary details that seemed built in just to make the book longer or drag out the suspense.
I also agree with another review that the dog's death was unnecessary. It didn't enrich the story in any way, and the way it spurned Alan to finally get serious about Michael despite it having absolutely nothing to do with Michael just made him seem reckless and irrational.
Like other reviews, this is the first novel of the series and there were kinks to be worked through, I'm sure. So that, with my memories of having really liked the series previously, I'll continue to read it, and hope that Lauren's revelations at the end of book one make her likeable, or at least tolerable, in future installments, and that Alan becomes more able to see things less emotionally and take a more clinical, unbiased perspective at circumstances like he would in his practice.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 27, 2025
I really wanted to like this book, but it came up short. I’m always looking for new series to read. The main character, a psychologist, is one of THE most unlikable characters I’ve ever read. He’s arrogant and whiny and self-absorbed. Plus his maybe-girlfriend was annoying on multiple levels. I couldn’t palate these characters for another book, let alone a series. This set up is similar to Johnathan Kellerman’s Alex Delaware series, so I was excited since I love that series. This doesn’t come close. Don’t waste your time.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
June 14, 2010
good mystery, but bogged down on to much jargon. Awesome premise, a background in phycology would help a reader out. Will continue a few more in the series but if jargon doesn't ease up, I won't be reading all 18 to date!
November 26, 2018
The first book in the Alan Gregory series by Stephen White. Alan Gregory is a psychologist who is often dealing with ethical dilemmas from his patients and former patients. This first book was a good introduction to the characters.
February 19, 2012
the first book in White's series of 18 Alan Gregory thrillers. I have read this book and #3 Higher Authority so far. Like Higher Authority more than this one. But I have ordered the rest of the series on Amazon and will be reviewing them all here soon.
April 27, 2013
Stephen White is a clinical physiologist, as is his main character in PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. With his knowledge and experience I thought he might give his readers a good psychological thriller. Instead, I found the book to be tedious and dull.
March 19, 2017
Wasn't able to finish the book. Found it very slow, boring, and the descriptions of EVERYTHING were very long and repetitive. They did not add to the story at all. Never really got into the characters because of the irrelevant wordiness.
September 21, 2012
Very well-written and suspenseful!
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